WHAT HAPPENED: The last time Alex de Minaur reached a major quarterfinal it was a heartbreaking affair. Injured in the waning moments of his fourth-round victory over Arthur Fils at Wimbledon in July, de Minaur instantly knew that something was wrong with his hip.
Two days later he pulled out of his impending showdown with Novak Djokovic, his season suddenly in jeopardy just as he was hitting his stride.
Two months later, the indefatigable Aussie is back where he belongsã…¡in another Grand Slam quarterfinal.
The No.10 seed used his experience and his aggression to full effect in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Monday as he steered past compatriot Jordan Thompson, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, to set a quarterfinal with 25th-seeded Brit Jack Draper.
“I’ve got so much respect for Tommo,” de Minaur said of his good friend after the win. “We’ve grown up together and he’s been like a big brother to me, I really appreciate everything he’s done for me. He’s a competitor and my Davis Cup teammate.”
In his sixth career meeting with his fellow Sydneysider, de Minaur started at breakneck speed and sped through a 6-0 set in a mere 28 minutes. True to form, Thompson dug in and shook off the early jitters, ramping up his serve in the second set to put his speedy rival on the back foot.
32nd-ranked Thompson wasn’t even taken to deuce in set two and he capitalized on his newfound momentum with a break of the de Minaur serve for 4-2. Three games later he was level in the match, but his fortunes would soon shift.
A break for 4-2 in the third set gave de Minaur the traction he sought and he ran with it, locking up the set with a smash for 6-3.
Though down a break early in a fourth set that felt a lot like a heated practice session between two players well-versed in nullifying each other’s strengths, the relentless de Minaur turned the screws and came out of the topsy turvy 71-minute stanza on top.
After two trades of breaks, de Minaur notched the critical fifth service break of the set, forcing a Thompson volley error wide, and he served out the contest in the next game, his fifth ace setting up his first match point, and a service winner officially closing the door on Thompson in two hours and 57 minutes.
WHAT IT MEANS: De Minaur joins an octet of Aussies to have reached three consecutive major quarterfinals in the Open Era, and becomes the first man from his country to achieve the feat since legendary Lleyton Hewitt in 2005. It’s a massive accomplishment for De Minaur, and he doesn’t take it for granted.
“It’s just a mentality,” he said. “Positive mindset no matter what. I try to play every point, I try to win every point and, as always, compete my heart out.”
De Minaur set the tone for his 2024 season early, defeating Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev at the United Cup, which landed him in the Top 10 and made him the first Aussie to hold a Top 10 ranking since Hewitt in 2006. On Monday night he continued the momentum that could take him to his best Grand Slam performance to date.
MATCH POINT: De Minaur earns his 40th win of 2024, improving to 40-12 overall on the season and 16-3 at the majors this year. He owns a 3-0 lifetime record against his quarterfinal opponent Jack Draper, having earned wins against him at Wimbledon in 2022, Tokyo in 2023 and Acapulco in February of this year.
“We’ve never played in a Grand Slam in a best of five,” he said. “It’s a completely different ball game, as he’s been playing some great tennis all year. I’m expecting a battle. He’s very tricky. I’m going to do my best, compete my heart out, and we’ll see what happens.”
